Clutch control mechanism



C. S. BRAGG Oct. 24, 1939.

CLUTCH CONTROL MECHANISM Original Filed April 17, 1935 INVENTOR @4455 359466.

' A TORNEY meme a. 24, 1939 PA ENT: OFFICE- 2,111,441 cw'rcn com-nor. uncnauism Caleb S. Bragg, Palm Beach, Fla, assignor to Bragg-Kliesrath Corporation, South Bend, bid, a corporation of New York application April 17, 1935, Serial No.

16, 48, now Patent No. 2,104,731, dated January Divided and this application October a, 1937, Serial No. 167,945

2 Oiaims. (ChlilZ-fii) This invention relates to power means for operating the clutch of an automotive vehicle.

The principal object of the invention is toprovide a clutchoperator that is automatically operable with an operation of the accelerator, thus relieving the driver of all conscious control of the clutch.

A further object of the invention'is to provide automatically operable meansoperable, when and if the clutch is about to be engaged too severely,

- to counteract the eflect of the power means in controlling the engagement of the clutch. To this end there is provided a weight operable, by virtue of its inertia, to controlthe loading of the clutch plates by bearing upon the clutch operating linkage in a direction tending to disengage the clutch. I

In the broadest sense, the invention contemplates the provision of inertia operated means for controlling the engagement of the clutch,

whether the latter be power or manually operated.

Other objects of the invention and desirable details'of construction and combinations of parts will become apparent'from the following-detailed descriptionof certain embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompany-- illustrating said embodiments, in

ing drawing which: I

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view disclosing a power means for disengaging the clutch, in combination with the inertia means, constituting the essence of my invention, for modifying the clutch engaging operation of the power means;

, Figure 2 is a sectional view disclosing the details'of the clutch operating motor and the motor controlling valve of the mechanism of Figure 1;

Figure 3 discloses another embodiment of inertiaoperated means for controlling the engagement of the-clutch.

Referring now to the structure disclosed in Figure 1, there is provided ,a, throttle controlling accelerator ll returnedto its oil position bye it. There is also disclosed a conventional manually operated clutch throw-out lever It, the

spring I! and connected tothe throttle by a link unit comprises a fluid operated secured to the engine or other convenient mounting rigidly secured to the chassis. A piston of the motor is provided with the usual connecting rod 22, the latter, together with linkage 2t, interconnecting the piston and the clutch throw- 5 out lever l6.

The ope'iation of the servomotor is controlled by a three-way valve mechanism 26 mounted thereon, as clearly disclosed in Figure 2. A twoway valve 28, operable from the dashby a Bowden control 30, serves to cut the power means out of operation at the will of the driver.

, Upon release of the accelerator, the valve 26 is operated to interconnect the clutch" operating motor with the intake manifold, to. thus evacuate the motor and efiect a disengagement of the clutch. Depression of theaccelerator serves. to again Operate the valve to vent the clutch motor to atmosphere and initiate an engagement of the clutch.. No claim is made to the above briefly described power mechanism for operating the clutch, inasmuch as the same is disclosed and claimed in numerous patents in this art, such as Patent No. 1,470,272, granted October 9, 1923,

and Patent No. 2,051,894, granted August 25, 1936. The essence of the invention, howevenlies inthe means for controlling the clutch engaging operation of the clutch motor, thus providing a 5 safety feature in that, in effecting the engagement of the clutchplate, the loading is controlled by means tending to limit the loading to a factor above which the acceleraton of the vehicle would be excessive.

As disclosed in Figure 1, .a lever. member 32, weighted at its end by a relatively heavy bob 34, v is pivoted to a pin 36, fixedly secured to the chassis. The lever member is preferably bifurcated at 3 to surround the link 24 and contact a stop 40 secured thereto. Should the clutchlbe engaged too severely, the acceleration of the car will swing'the hub to the dotted-line position shown 'in'figure, the furcations thus contacting I the stop 0 and creating a force, proportional to the acceleration, counteracting the force of the clutch spring in engaging the clutch. The lever It may be connected tothe linkage 24 by a lost motionconnection 52 to provide a mechanism permitting a manual disengagement of the clutch without affecting the power means: furthermore, the linkage 24 may be connected to the rod 22 by a lost motion connection 54 to provide a mechanism permitting an operation of the above-described bob ll without affecting said power Referring to the modification oi Figure 3, there 5 is provided .a. lever 42' having a relatively heavy bob 44 at its end, the lever being iulcrumed upon a conventional clutch shaft 48, to which is operatively connected a conventional clutch pedal 48'. The upper end of the lever is provided with a stop 50 .adaptedto contact the pedal 48, and should the acceleration of the car, as a result of faulty :clutch engagement, be excessive, the levenwili move or tend to move counterclockwise and ope pose the clutch engaging movement of the clutch pedal.

The invention heretofore described'is in my copending application Serial No. 16 ,748.

filed April 17, 1935, this application constituting a division thereof. I Although thisinvention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments,

the principla involved are susceptible oi numerone other applications that will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. The invention is,

therefore, to be limited only as-indicated by the scope or the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an automotive vehicle provided with a clutch pedal, -means 'contactable with said pedal and adapted to oppoee the engaging movement thereof; and an inertia operated member connected to said means.

2. In an automotive vehicle provided with a clutch pedal, a lever member weighted at one and contactable at its other end with said pedal so as to. oppose the clutch engaging movement of the pedal duringthe acceleration of the vehicle. 1 CALEB. 8. BRAGG. 

